US consumer spending barely rises, key inflation gauge picks up

US consumers remained cautious about spending last month

WASHINGTON — Inflation picked up last month and consumers barely raised their spending, signs that the economy was already cooling even before most tariffs were imposed.

Consumers remained cautious about spending as inflation ticked up

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation picked up last month and consumers barely raised their spending, signs that the economy was already cooling even before most tariffs were imposed.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation increased last month and consumers barely increased their spending, signs that the economy was cooling even before most of the tariffs were imposed. The report released Friday by the Department of Commerce shows that consumer prices increased 2.5% in February compared to the previous year, matching the annual pace of January. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, basic prices increa…

US consumer spending barely rises, key inflation gauge picks up

Consumer spending was weaker than expected again in February while a key inflation metric picked up, in a double whammy for the economy before the brunt of tariffs.

Weak spending, sticky prices, rising inflation expectations a bad mix for Fed

By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Reserve’s seemingly locked-in path to a soft landing, already roiled by the arrival of the Trump administration, may be growing even more complicated as evidence of consumer caution about spending starts to align with new inflation risks and another jump in inflation expectations. Consumer spending and inflation data for February accentuated the point, with spending near zero once adjust…

U.S. consumers remained cautious about spending last month as inflation ticked higher

Inflation picked up last month and consumers barely raised their spending, signs that the economy was already cooling even before most tariffs were imposed.